Love Me, Hold Me, Keep Me Safe
by NutsandVolts
Summary: ONESHOT: Beetee and Wiress find solace in each other the night before the Quarter Quell. Both are all too aware of the fact that no plan lacks a slight margin of human error and that this could be their last night together; however, Beetee hopes he can convince Wiress that his love is enough to protect her. And maybe, Wiress will be able to convince him that she believes him.


**A/N: So, this is my first **_**ever **_**rated M fic. And though there are some rated M fics that aren't lemon, this **_**is **_**lemon. I don't know how many of these I'll write, but this idea wouldn't stay out of my head. :) I'm free to criticism; don't forget to leave a review!**

**Hugs,**

**Wendy**

Wiress wrapped herself in a hug as she dragged her feet to the bedroom allotted to her in the Training Center. _Tomorrow. _The Games started _tomorrow. _She had known about the Quarter Quell—in which she and Beetee, the only living victors of District 3, would have to compete—for months. She should be more prepared. This shouldn't have taken her by such surprise. After all, logic told her that no matter how much you wished for it to, time never, ever stopped. The months turned to weeks; the weeks turned to days; and now the days had become mere hours before what could be her ultimate destruction.

It wasn't her own death that would cause her destruction. In fact, death wouldn't be as bad as some things that had happened to her. No, death would be perfectly acceptable, even merciful—in death, she would be able to finish her sentences and wouldn't feel the weight of the world on her thin shoulders. It was _Beetee's _death she was worried about. She simply could not live without Beetee. In the years since she had first met him at her Games, he had become the only real constant in her life. He was her mentor, her father, her brother, her best friend, her lover...whatever she needed him to be. However many faces Wiress had, Beetee developed just as many to comfort her, to keep her calm and safe and happy, just as he'd promised to do the night she returned to District 3, scared and alone; he'd held her and cradled her in his arms, the only place she ever felt safe anymore. She realized that night that she simply could not live without him. And now, years later, she _still _could not live without him. She needed him like she needed air; everyone believed her to be insane, but if they _really _want to see her go insane, all they'd have to do is watch her reaction if Beetee were to die in the arena.

Wiress's hand reluctantly slipped from her shoulder to open the door to her bedroom, and to her slight surprise, another replaced it. The touch was warm, gentle, and familiar; without turning around, she knew Beetee was behind her. Too numb to acknowledge his presence, she turned the doorknob and entered the room; Beetee stood motionless in the doorway, watching her from behind his glasses, and she quietly invited him inside before sitting on the bed. She was grateful that he knew to close and lock the door behind him; she needed to be alone with him, just him, for the remaining hours of freedom they had left.

Beetee hesitantly sat down beside her, afraid that the slightest movement would scare her into a corner. Her arms were once again wrapped around herself. Beetee hated to see her this way, so terrified and broken. Lightly, he peeled an arm from around her and took her hand in both of his, massaging her palm with his thumbs. She flinched slightly but made no move to resist or pull away. Their eyes met. When she gently tugged her hand away from his to rest it on his shoulder, Beetee saw it fit to rest his on the side of her face. Her head cocked, a dark curl falling in front of her big eyes, and he tucked it behind her ear so that nothing prevented him from staring at her lovely face. Wiress came closer; her lips parted slightly, as if she was trying to form a thought into words. Beetee could accurately read her expression, as always, but she would be comforted by the knowledge that she could finish the sentence by herself, so patiently he sat, letting his fingertips trace the gentle line of her jaw.

"I'm...afraid," murmured Wiress, her big eyes locked on his.

He sighed. He wanted to take the fear from her lovely face. He wanted to hold her and to tell her that everything would be alright, and upon being asked for proof of this, he wanted her to be reassured by the mere fact that he would do absolutely everything in his power to protect her because he loved her, and because the thought of living without her sounded like a fate worse than death. But she was too smart for that; she knew that no plan lacked a small margin of human error, and humans were so prone to mistakes. An ambush, the rip of a knife blade across his throat, and her Beetee, the man she loved above all others, would simply cease to exist. She could not afford to let that happen.

Beetee's fingertips lightly traced the outline of her lips. "I know," he replied simply. "It's smart to be afraid."

Her eyes swam with tears. His bespectacled face blurred before her. "That doesn't mean..."

"I know you don't like it, honey," he whispered, letting his fingers gently caress the sleek contours of her throat. "Neither do I. But tonight...let's just pretend."

Her head had fallen back at his soft touches. Beetee's hand slipped from her neck to the back of her head; he massaged her scalp with his fingernails, lightly raking them against her, before pulling her face close to his. Her forehead touched his. By shaking his head slightly, he could rub her nose with his own. This made her smile thinly before staring at him in fear and longing once more.

"Pretend what?" she whispered back. She knew exactly what he meant. Wiress knew Beetee as well as he knew her. Had she an adequate voice, she could finish his sentences as easily as he could finish hers. But she wanted to hear him say it; she _needed _to hear him say it.

"Let's pretend we're safe and alive, back home in District 3," he murmured to her. A hand found her hip. He had begun to gently run his skillful fingers down the long length of her right leg, sending wonderful shivers through her.

"And no more..."

"The Games don't exist anymore," he whispered; she shivered in desire as his warm breath washed over her face. "No more Hunger Games. Everyone is safe and as happy as they can be. And right now, it's just the two of us."

"Just us?" she repeated.

"Just us," he reiterated with a small smile. The hand on her leg was at her knee. He slowly moved it upward, over her thigh, over her hip, and let it slide up her back. His long fingers easily found the zipper to her dress. He rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, looking into Wiress's lovely eyes for permission before continuing. She nodded, her heartbeat accelerating.

"Yes," she whispered. "Please."

That was all he needed to hear. Wiress closed her eyes and a small whimper escaped her mouth as she heard the low purr of the zipper. Gracefully, she stood; the material of the black dress she had worn to the interview fell in a small pile around her feet. She stepped out of it and kicked it away, not caring that she was probably crushing the velvet with her feet. To her, it was nothing but another one of the Capitol's barriers between her and Beetee, and tonight, there would be no barriers. None at all. Idly, she wondered if there were video cameras hidden in this room—she had never bothered to check—but it suddenly dawned on her that she didn't care. In fact, she _wanted _the Gamemakers and even President Snow to watch. She wanted them to see that, at least for the moment, she and Beetee were still alive and breathing, and not only that, there was nothing they could do to keep them from expressing their love.

As she sat back down next to him in only her underclothes, her dark eyes warm and trusting, Beetee put his hands underneath her and eased her onto her back. His hands grasped the hem of her undershirt, and Wiress obediently lifted her arms above her head, allowing him to remove it. He tossed it over his shoulder without caring where it landed. Then he leaned toward her so that their lips were inches apart before lightly tracing her breasts where they subtly rose above the cups of her bra; Wiress closed her eyes and could almost feel the lingering ghost of his touch as clearly as she could feel the touch itself. Her fingers lightly traced patterns on Beetee's face, on his neck, and down his chest before sliding open the first few buttons of his shirt. Before she continued, she leaned up slightly so that she could kiss him; Beetee responded by putting his hands on her waist and settling her onto the bed again, pinning himself above her so as not to burden her with his weight. Their kissed lasted until both were breathing roughly; Wiress sat up slightly so that Beetee could put his shaking hands on her back, unhook her bra, and pull it down her arms. He abandoned it and turned his attention to Wiress's breasts. She was a small, slim woman, and her breasts mirrored this, but Beetee thought they were perfect; small, but round and full. Her nipples were erect; he lightly pressed his lips to each one before trailing kisses down her stomach, to the hem of her underpants.

"Beetee," she whispered, "Don't...don't..."

Another, less familiar lover would believe Wiress was attempting to dissuade him from doing something so audacious, but Beetee knew her well enough to know that this wasn't what she was trying to say at all; in her faltering half-sentences, Wiress was trying to beg him _not _to stop. She enjoyed the feel of his lips on her flesh and wanted more. But while the feel of his mouth and hands was truly marvelous, it suddenly occurred to her that she was barely touching _him. _He deserved to feel as much pleasure as she did and more, as a matter of fact. Her delicate fingers undid his shirt buttons with great ease before peeling it away from his torso. She manipulated his body between kisses so that she could remove his pants and undershirt, and then she slid up the bed, keeping his hands in her grasp and taking him with her. Beetee removed his glasses and laid them on the beside table before putting his hands in Wiress's hair, sitting so that one knee was on either side of her hips and he was straddling her. His lips brushed her ear. "Now, where was I?" he rasped, his voice low and gritty. It set Wiress's nerves on fire.

Beetee placed his lips in the hollow between Wiress's breasts; her fingers twined in his thick, dark hair as he dragged his mouth down to the lace trim of her underpants. With a sly smile gracing his lips, Beetee put his hands on her hips and tugged Wiress's underpants down her legs, discarding them; her breath came hard and fast as he kissed each knee, moving upward slowly. He gently placed his hands on the inside of each thigh and opened her legs; his tongue caressed the warm, moist flesh between her legs in such a way that she had to pant to get sufficient amounts of oxygen. Her fingers gripped the sheet beneath her so hard her knuckles turned white as she whimpered in longing; words would not form on her tongue, but she didn't care. Beetee knew her well enough to understand what she wanted, and that was him. She wanted him and she wanted him _now. _There was no way around it. Her hands found his hips; she feverishly helped him wriggle out of his underpants and threw them to her left; she dimly heard them hit the wall. Wiress didn't care. She was pretending, as Beetee had instructed her to do; in her mind, they were home in District 3, the war was over, and they were safe. All she needed now was him.

Beetee kissed a trail from Wiress's navel up to her mouth. Their lips locked; he entered her and lay very still atop her, keeping himself pinned above her by resting most of his weight on his elbows. He waited for the inevitable rise of her hips when she could no longer stand the suspense. Soon enough, she began to pant and shiver all over, her slim legs sliding around his waist and pulling him deeper inside. She wrapped her arms around his neck and twined her fingers in his hair once again as he gently began to move with her, sliding into her even further. Wiress gasped as he rubbed against an especially sensitive part of her flesh.

"Beetee," she whispered, "that's...that's so good..."

"I know," he whispered back. "You feel so good to me, too. I love you."

"I love...love...I love you too," she stammered, clinging to him desperately. "Don't...don't...don't let go..."

"Never."

They continued to move together, their skins growing damp with sweat as they increased their pace. Wiress traced the lines of contours of Beetee's back as they rocked in rhythmic ecstasy, moaning involuntarily; her eyes rolled in back of her head and Beetee cupped her chin, tilted her head so that her eyes were on his. She fought to stay with him. Her vision blurred in and out of focus as waves of pleasure crashed through her.

"Look at me," Beetee whispered, almost commanded. "Stay with me, now. Stay with me."

"Oh, my...Beetee..."

"Stay with me, Wiress," he repeated, slowing his pace as he felt her grow closer to release. She gasped.

"No, don't stop!" she cried.

"I won't," he whispered; he quickened his pace again and she held him tight, shivering, moaning with pleasure. "I won't stop. Not until you've had enough."

"I haven't," she moaned. "I...I need m-more..."

"And you'll get more," he responded, trying the keep his voice even. This was a difficult task; he feel of her body was like a drug to him, and he wanted nothing more than to give in to the impulse to cry out as she did, but he needed to reason with her first while her brain was too occupied to argue or even use logic. His reassurances were stuck in his brain, and he would never be at peace until he could give them to her and see her calmed by them. So as he continued to move inside her, bringing her and himself to pure bliss, he said, "I love you, Wiress. I love you, and I'm going to protect you. No one is ever going to hurt you."

"No one," she repeated in a whisper, her large eyes locked on his, her love for him and a sheen of lust on her face. "No one. You'll keep me safe."

"Yes," he whispered back, "yes, dear, yes. We're getting out of that arena alive. You hear me?"

"Y-yes," she stammered before releasing another soft moan. She was very, very close, and so was he. She wouldn't listen to these blind condolences in the morning. Beetee had to say them now.

"And we can make love every single night when we go to District Thirteen," he continued, trying to slow his pace to make it last longer, but when he did, Wiress ground her hips against him impatiently; he was powerless to the speed of their movements now and could do nothing to stop either of them. He had to be fast. "We'll go home and everything will be alright again. Do you want to know why?"

"Why?" she whispered, her eyes glazed. She was trying her hardest to stay with him; he could easily see that. But she was just as powerless now as he was; they had long since passed the point of no return and their bodies seemed to move at the own accord.

"Because I'm going to protect you," Beetee softly reiterated, gritting his teeth. He was close, very, _very _close, as was Wiress. They were mere seconds away. But it didn't matter; he'd said what he needed to. "I'm going to protect you..." He trailed off as he felt his fragile grip on control slacken; he clung to her for dear life as he felt every nerve ending in his body pulse and pound with pleasure. He used what little restraint he still maintained to let Wiress come first. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, what he did every time they slept together; she gasped as her pleasure overflowed her mind, body, and soul; her very being seemed to dissolve before her very eyes, leaving nothing behind but joy and warmth in every inch of her tingling, throbbing flesh. The feeling astounded her in its intensity, and in pure delirious ecstasy, Wiress cried out, "Beetee!"

Beetee knew what had happened to her a split second before his sizzling nerves seared into oblivion, rather like a fuse creeping down a wire and reaching its destination; he felt himself pouring into her, unable to control the spasmodic movements of his hips as he bit his lip to keep from screaming and burying his face in the soft skin of her throat. "Wiress, Wiress, _Wiress..._" he whispered repeatedly.

She put her hands on his back and pulled him down; though he didn't want to burden her with his full weight, he didn't have the strength to resist her, and even after he settled on top of her, she seemed completely oblivious to anything but the warm glow they had created together. Beetee's lips traveled over her ear; he gently sucked her earlobe while he continued to fill her, shivering. Neither said anything because nothing needed to be said, and at any rate, Beetee didn't think he was entirely capable of speaking at the moment.

"I love you." Slightly uncharacteristically, it was Wiress who broke the silence. She scratched his back lightly with her fingernails and pressed a kiss on his temple as he lay with her, still inside her and panting for breath. "I trust you. I believe you. You'll protect me and bring me home again; if you say so, then you will. I trust you, Beetee."

She was speaking in complete sentences, Wiress realized. This sometimes happened after sex; Beetee reasoned that her excessive hormone levels tamed some of the harsher memories in her subconscious that kept her from fully expressing herself. Wiress didn't care to know the reason behind it; she was just glad for it because she had something important she needed to tell him, and in all honesty, she thought he probably needed to hear it, too.

Beetee responded after he'd finally caught his breath. "I love you, Wiress."

"As I love you," she whispered back. "I trust you with my life. Everything will work out...exactly as you say."

The margin of human error in the plan was the farthest thing from her mind as they kissed sleepily and climbed under the blankets. All she knew and cared to know was that, at least for now, Beetee was with her and able to love her, to hold her, and to keep her safe. As they drifted to sleep together, Wiress couldn't keep the smile off her lips.

**A bit of a bittersweet ending seeing as we know what actually happens...:'( So anyway, tell me what you think!**

**Hugs,**

**Wendy**


End file.
